My Cordial Companion
by Thephoric
Summary: Sequel to Frigid Dissolution! Lucy and Natsu end up with a bouncing bundle of baby joy! How are they handling parenthood? And something in Natsu changed- Could it be dangerous? Read on! Find out! M for swearing, violence, and eventual Lemon. I guess OC baby?
1. Daddy's Girl

Light shone in through Lucy's bedroom beaming against her. Her eyes slowly opening up to take in the sunrise of a new day. But panic set in...something important was missing. Why was it so cold? Her heart jumped and she sat up in her bed shuffling blankets around only to find she was alone. He hadn't left her side in weeks...but suddenly he disappeared?

Her eyes finally wandered over to a note sitting on the nightstand with her name on it. She didn't know why she was so afraid to read it. Afraid to think that he might not come back. She reached for it trying to steady her hand and opened it carefully.

'Good morning!

Sorry I left so early I hope I didn't scare you.

I'm going to be at my house all day today.

I want you to come meet me here later ok?

Bring Ami with you! See you later Lucy,

I love you.'

Lucy's pulse went back down to a normal pace and she started to breathe easy. It was really weird not having Natsu around in the morning. She had gotten so used to him being around. She stood up and noticed some movement across the room. Ami's arms were moving around and she made soft baby noises. The room was cramped with all sorts of baby gear. The guild had really gone all out. After everything was all sorted everyone was so excited. They had a super late baby shower and bought tons of stuff for Ami. A crib, changing table, toys, bottles, and anything else parents might need to take care of their little ones. Lucy just didn't have that much room in her small apartment for all of it.

It's been about a month since the incident, things have calmed down a bit since Ami's magic was sealed. Natsu felt bad about it, he wanted to blame himself for what Lucy and Ami had to go through. Lucy because he had gotten her pregnant in the first place. Ami because she was born with a ridiculous amount of magic. Ami's capabilities in the end were just as much Lucy's fault as it was Natsu's. Still he couldn't help but feel responsible...and a little proud.

Being a parent so far was pretty difficult. Thank goodness for the guild helping with the initial costs because if they didn't buy all these gifts Lucy would have most certainly went under. Natsu had some money but it still wouldn't be enough to cover everything. Things were starting to get tight as it was with the rent drawing near, and Ami needing more things like diapers and slightly bigger clothes.

Lucy walked up to the crib and could only smile, there was a note tied to the post of the crib:

'Daddy will see you again soon!'

She only pictured Natsu hovering over her crib watching Ami sleep. Probably contemplating taking her with him. How did he ever manage to leave?

Lucy picked Ami up and noticed she needed to be changed. Lucy sighed and brought her to the changing table and did her work. Eventually sliding Ami into a warm cute onesie that was pink with zoo animals on it. It reminded Lucy of the zodiac. Since she hadn't been on a job in over a month it was making her feel super nostalgic. Ami was such an expressive baby, you could almost tell what the little one was thinking. She looked around the room with such a sad expression but she wasn't crying, yet. Lucy looked at her little face and laughed. It really warmed her heart...

"Awww, you miss your daddy? Let's go Ami, I'm sure he misses you too." Lucy spoke softly as she lifted her up.

Ami was a little heavier then when she was born. It was weird how fast time was going now. The days seemed to fly. Lucy placed Ami back in the crib while she got ready but never fully taking her eyes away from her baby girl. Once Lucy was ready she went off in the direction of Natsu's home Ami snuggled against her chest. Natsu saw her coming from down the road and stood up, wiping sweat off his brow. He was working hard on something.

"Ah...Lucy! Ami!" He called out with his signature grin waving his arm.

Lucy smiled and waved holding Ami tightly to her chest. Soon as she came within a few feet of the property Natsu already had his arms around her. It was a warm, loving, and tight embrace, like he could barely stand being so far away. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek then backed off a bit and held out his arms. He looked like a needy child who wanted their toy. Lucy just smiled and handed over Ami slowly.

"Woooh, Ami you are getting so big! You are going to become big and strong like me, I'm gonna teach you dragon slayer magic it's gonna be awesome!" Natsu sounded a bit mischievous as he laughed.

Lucy sounded a bit annoyed, "Hey! We don't know what kind of magic Ami is going to want to learn Natsu!"

"Oh she's going to be a fire breather just like her old man. I can tell." Natsu just smiled and blew her off.

She noticed the lumber around the yard and various tools scattered everywhere.

"What's going on Natsu? You renovating?"

"Yeah, it's what I wanted to show you. I'm expanding my house, you and Ami are coming to live with me once I'm done. Happy is excited about it too, right little buddy?"

Happy was struggling to lift up a piece of lumber, "Aye!"

Lucy's eyes started to water, he was so good to her, she couldn't stop crying.

"I want us to become a real family..." Natsu spoke softly and coddled Ami in his arms.

Ami giggled and grabbed a hold of Natsu's scarf, happy to be back in her father's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>: I really hope you loved this because I certainly did! This is only an introduction to my new work.

**1. **This is the beginning to my sequel of **Frigid Dissolution** If you haven't read that yet than please go ahead! I will wait here for you :D


	2. Hello, Stranger?

The house was finally done in about five months. Natsu, Happy, and despite protests from Natsu- Lucy, all worked hard to create a new home fit for the precious new life that would be living there. It was cleaned up and had two new bedrooms complete with a master bathroom. Natsu never had to go to Lucy's apartment again for her comfortable bed, for the first time he had his very own, but not lacking in the comfort he always sought. Lucy would be there, to him it gave him a sense of completeness to be by her side at night; Then to wake up with her in his arms, something so simple yet gave a new level of meaning behind what it was like to love someone. No matter what happened that day...he could find comfort and solace in her...and she in him. She would always be there, as long as she kept loving him, and he never wanted it to end. They weren't married yet but they didn't need those vows to feel the weight of the words they would eventually speak...

Back to the house, Ami had a room of her very own. It was connected directly to Natsu and Lucy's bed room, for now though they agreed to keep the crib in their own bedroom. Mostly Natsu's original idea but Lucy agreed wholeheartedly. Ami would grow up soon or later and need her own room at some point so they prepared for the eventual reality. Now all that was left was to move all of Ami's and Lucy's furniture to Natsu's house. A couple of the guild mates really wanted to help to this end. There was no way that the three of them alone could move all of the furniture across Magnolia alone, it would take weeks with all of Ami's new stuff. Gray, Erza, Levy, and Gajeel(Thanks to a certain blue haired mage) were all there and ready to help.

Lucy was standing in her apartment, Ami in her arms, watching as all of her friends picked up most of the furniture and walked outside. Erza agreed to bring most of the stuff on her luggage pulling cart which took care of most of Ami's furniture. The other stuff like Lucy's clothing, letters, and furniture she was taking with her everyone else carried.

"Thanks guys we would have been hopeless without the help." Lucy's body was weak and her voice softer than usual. These past few months had really taken a toll on her.

Natsu grumbled, "Hey! I could have carried all this myself."

Lucy sighed and shook her head, "Yeah if we wanted to send you to the hospital."

Erza smiled and picked up another box to put on her wagon, "It's no problem Lucy were a family. And as family we will always have your back no matter what."

Gray walked past Natsu and right by Lucy to grab another box. Natsu couldn't stop himself from glaring at him, it was almost automatic. He nearly dropped the suitcase he was carrying, his mind went blank. It was a small moment where the whole world seemed lost on him. Gray picked it up and watched carefully...then finally decided to speak up.

"Would you chill out? I'm your ally remember?"

Natsu was taken back by his words, it's not like he forgot that. The urge to pounce was just stronger than his need to think when Gray came into close proximity to Lucy and Ami. Though understandable in normal circumstances it was a little weird to feel so jumpy around friends...

Natsu's face went from aggressive to down right worried. Lucy voiced her own concern, "What's wrong Natsu? You feeling OK?"

They had spent so much time together usually she could pick up on these things faster than other people. Looking at her face brought Natsu a little more comfort. It was able to put him at ease for a moment so he could get back his focus.

He didn't look her in the eyes as he spoke he just turned with the suitcase to continue what he was doing, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Natsu was lying.

After a day of packing and moving things into their new home things became pretty quiet. Everyone else went home after the days work. It felt a little weird to be living at Natsu's house now. Lucy never thought she would see the day, that and she would never go back to her apartment ever again. Everything is so different now that they were back in Magnolia kind of like living in an alternate dream reality. Slowly the pieces of their relationship fell into place. Natsu and Lucy just had to get married and they would be caught up on everything they wish they could have planned before being forced into parenthood. Not that they didn't like it...it just wasn't planned out like most people.

Lucy fixed some of the furniture into place finalizing the look of the main room. Not too bad for a living room, kitchen, dining area.

She relaxed into the sofa with a pleasant blush, "This place is actually kind of nice...homey..."

Natsu couldn't help but grin, it's become even better now that Lucy is here. Peaceful...quiet...until Ami started to wail her little head off in the other room. Lucy and Natsu exchanged quick glances before Natsu advanced to the room ready to take care of the little ones needs. Happy sat down next to Lucy holding his ears waiting for it to stop! Unfortunately for Happy his ears were super sensitive to the sound.

Natsu knew she didn't need to be changed, he could smell that one from at least a mile away. She was either lonely or hungry or it could be both.

"Hey, Ami." He spoke softly and held her close to him rocking back and forth.

Her cries were slowing down, he let out a quick laugh to himself and sat down on the bed. He lifted her up so they were face to face.

"You're not hungry are you?"

She just stared back the crying finally stopping as he spoke. Her expression was so happy. Such a silly child, but it was something that made her more precious to him.

Natsu laughed a bit louder this time, "You always cry for attention now. You're going to get me in trouble with your mom if you make me keep spoiling you."

She's so cute though how could he not? Natsu happily played a few rounds of peek-a-boo then laid her back into the crib. He knew better than to leave her right away, she would only start crying again. So he sat down next to the crib, her eyes never leaving him, and waited until she fell asleep. Being a parent was such a satisfying feeling almost like being full of fire all the time. Lucy walked in quietly and sat next to Natsu.

"She's asleep?" Lucy whispered.

He nodded in return a soft smile plastered on his face. Lucy pounced on him knocking Natsu down to the floor into a warm embrace. It honestly couldn't get any better than this...

"Get a room you two." Happy snickered.

Way to break the mood happy. Lucy rolled her eyes at him, "We have one you're just in it, stupid cat."

Natsu pulled himself out from under her and extended his hand, "I'm tired Lucy...wanna go to bed?"

She nodded and walked over to the wardrobe pulling out some pajamas and changing into them. Natsu stripped down to his boxers and jumped into bed, bouncing lightly into the air. He could never get tired of that. Lucy joined him shortly after and he pulled her down into a tight embrace, showering her in kisses then drifting off to sleep.

The crackling of fire was so loud, only taken over by the sounds of falling debris all around. Horrible pained screams evaporating into the air and a feeling of extreme and utter despair came over him. It sent his senses into an unwelcome frenzy as he look upon their bodies...

Natsu shot up in a cold sweat which was odd even for him. He tried to make sense of it all but a distracting sound of fire and a familiar smell came from the main room. He got up and noticed Ami wasn't in her crib...so he went, curiously, to the kitchen. Lucy was there, Ami too in her high chair, cooking tons of food. Eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage...she turned and saw Natsu still in his boxers and giggled.

"Morning sleepy head. I'm making you food~ Not sure what kind of breakfast food you like but I figured with how you eat it's probably protein, protein, protein." She spoke happily waving her spatula around.

He wanted to admire her but his stomach was protesting the urge to eat. His dream still getting the best of him, it was elevating his pulse and putting him into a different mode of thinking. A dangerous one...

Lucy finished her cooking and set three large plates on the table for Natsu and a small one of some salmon for Happy. Happy thanked her and started to dig in, she sat down and Natsu did too but he wasn't touching the food in front of him. Lucy's expression changed sporadically. She went from happy to mad then to sad. It was completely out of character for Natsu to not touch food, did he not like it? A mix of emotions were swirling inside of her as she tried to make sense of it, first he lied to her yesterday and now he isn't eating the food she made.

"You want to tell me whats going on?" Lucy was frustrated with him now, there was something he wasn't telling her.

He looked up and started to fork eggs into his mouth, not answering her question; or rather avoiding it. He just didn't want her to worry about it, it wasn't a huge deal. He just felt really protective when he thought of Lucy and Ami, if anyone ever laid a finger on them he'd...

"Natsu!?"

His whole body was alight with flames while his imagination ran wild. Lucy brought his mind back to reality momentarily before he did anything crazy. He had all this pent up anger and aggression...

"Sorry about that...I didn't mean to-" He paused trying to fix the horrified look he had on his face, "I just need to let off some steam."

Natsu stood up now a bit more composed and walked over to Ami picking her up out of the high chair. With how anxious he felt there was no way he could go out and leave Ami home. All of these thoughts and dreams drove him crazy if he left now without her he might actually blow something up by accident from being worried. Lucy watched carefully...she knew Natsu would never do anything stupid in regards to Ami but she still felt like there was something important she was missing.

Natsu grinned widely as Ami clung to the scarf around his neck, "Wanna come hang out with daddy today? Of course you do."

He looked to Lucy for approval, "Just come back by lunch time ok?"

Natsu nodded and grabbed a bag for Ami with all of the essentials, extra clothes, bottles, diapers...Once finished and ready they were off. He didn't go too far away of course, just a clearing in the trees about 5 or 6 minutes from his house. He sat her down and enjoyed the silence for a while before leaning over and ruffling her hair a bit.

Natsu gave the most serious face he could muster to a 6 month old, "Alright, Pay attention! This is fire dragon technique number one!"

In one motion he stood up and span around getting into a battle ready stance.

"FIRE DRAGON...ROAR!"

Flames erupted from his mouth through the trees lighting the sky up with warm inviting colors. After he was done he turned back to Ami who just could not sit still. Her face was so precious, taken over by absolute delight. Natsu couldn't stop himself from grinning, he felt like he was on top of the world. Sure she can't learn any magic yet but he wanted to show her anyway...how cool and awesome it could be. And from the look on her face he knew she liked it. Natsu sat down and let out a satisfied sigh, it felt good to release some magic too.

Natsu noticed Ami shuffling around in the corner of his eye, crawling off into the wide open unknown. He was curious so he got down on his elbows and followed her, probably looking like an idiot but who cares, it was fun anyway. Like their very first adventure together. He followed her around for a while making sure she didn't get hurt. Afterwards they played together for hours, Natsu even showed her some more fire tricks before heading back home for lunch.

On the way back he picked up a scent, something strong but maybe familiar? He gripped Ami firmly staying intact with reality. He rushed back in the direction of his house...filled with a bit more urgency. Once in his front yard he heard someone's voice inside, his fears were realized. Natsu opened the door in a panic, someone else was there...someone in his house. A man was sitting at his dinning room table a mug in his hand.

Natsu stared blankly with disbelief, "Gildarts?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> So I'm a little bit selfish and have been playing kingdom hearts 2.5 recently ;). That's why I didn't update right away...I'm sorry! This is another feel good chapter and I don't write anything without reason, you will see there is a purpose behind almost every detail that I write. This is going to be a mix of pleasure and pain for you in the future.

**1.** If anyone following from Frigid Dissolution is interested I drew Mari from the original work. It's not GREAT because I am no artist. But if you want to check it out it's posted on my new blog on tumblr. Same account name as on here or if you want the link its on my profile right near the top. There's a direct link to the picture there.


	3. Heartbreak

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE WHEN YOU ARE DONE.**

* * *

><p>Gildarts was sitting down at their new dinning room table with a large grin, the attention was now on Natsu.<p>

He turned to the doorway noting the obvious aggression in Natsu's stance, "Heey, long time no see Natsu. Never thought I'd find **your** house to be hospitable."

He laughed but Natsu ignored it, making his way to the high chair placing Ami inside it, then sitting down at the table across from him. Why was Gildarts here? He rarely ever came around here and to Natsu's house? Never. Something had to be up... Lucy didn't seem to mind though she just put lunch down on the table and sat with them. It was so nice having company.

Even after letting off steam the bitter feelings and aggressiveness toward other people was still tearing Natsu apart. He actually liked Gildarts too and wished he wanted his company, but he didn't. He just wanted him out of his space.

"So I got a message from Makarov about what happened. I'm sorry about it, but...to be honest it's kind of exciting. I actually came back because I heard you two had a baby, and at first I didn't want to believe it. The thought of Natsu being a father...well it scared me a little bit."

"Oh I wouldn't. Natsu is doing a great job..." Lucy happily defended her companion wholeheartedly.

Natsu was very agitated, he crossed his arms and tried to resist the urge to fight him. What would Gildarts know about parenting anyway? He had a daughter for years and didn't even know it. Gildarts paused and looked over at the beautiful bouncing baby in the high chair eating some food with her hands. She looked so happy, it melted his heart. To be honest he felt kind of like a close relative to her. He helped Natsu grow as a child and now Natsu was raising his own. It felt nice...and a little sad too.

"Kids are so precious." Gildarts tried to stifle the thoughts of his own girl as a cute baby. He cleared his head needing to get back to business and it began with a more serious tone, "But anyway, there is one other reason why I came."

That is what Natsu suspected all along.

"I need to talk to you...alone."

Natsu stood up and pushed in his chair eager to get this over with, "Yeah. Let's go."

Gildarts followed suit heading to the door, "Thanks for the lunch Lucy, it was delicious!"

Natsu was close behind but quickly grabbed his old fishing rod, he looked back.

"I'll be back Luce. Don't wait up for me."

She nodded but wasn't really sure what to think of the situation. Natsu and Gildarts went to their usual fishing spot and cast out. Fishing was always something that helped Natsu relax. He was also easier to talk to.

Gildarts had a serious tone in his voice, "You've changed, like really changed."

Natsu only continued to stare down into the water, "I don't feel like I've changed."

"Maybe you finally figured out there is more to life than just winning battles." Gildarts couldn't contain the snicker that followed.

Natsu was irritated now, "Hey what's that supposed to mean!"

Gildarts playfully pointed at himself as he spoke, "You used to jump at a chance to fight me any time you saw my face."

Natsu crossed his arms and mumbled a few bitter words. Gildarts tried to get back to the real problem at hand. The real reason why he was here.

Gildarts sighed trying to stay focused, "I'm not a fool Natsu...I can tell your magic power is getting out of control."

Natsu's eyes went wide in a panic for a moment. How long as he known?

"That's not-"

"Like a wild fire, I could see it in your eyes when you opened that door." His serious demeanor bore into Natsu's being, "I know what it's like to feel protective over someone. And that surge of power you're feeling I felt it too. Let's just say it's something we now have in common."

Natsu didn't speak anymore, he was trying to figure out how this situation went so awry.

"You ever wonder how my magic even got so out of hand?" There was a dramatic pause while Gildarts put the pieces together in his mind, "I fell in love."

Gildarts was about to spill that part of his life to Natsu to try and get some semblance of cooperation for what he was about to ask of him.

"I won't bore you with the mushy details but after we got married something started to take over. At first I was just protective over her, then it started to over take me...my thoughts would set off triggers activating my magic...fear took over and broke down the reality around me until I destroyed everything in my path.

"I had to leave on missions for long periods of time to control myself and eventually...eventually she left me. But the power that she unleashed from within me was still there. To be honest, after that I wanted to become numb to the feeling of love, I had hoped **that** might get my power under control but nothing worked."

Every word was like a shocking knife stab to the abdomen. What exactly is he getting at? Why did he come here...was it just to tell him his life story? He didn't really want to hear anymore but Gildarts continued.

"To this day I still can't control it completely...but that's part of the reason why I'm traveling."

Natsu had an epiphany. He understood now why Gildarts brought him out here and in a cool and calm voice he spoke, "If you're asking me to leave my family...I wont do it."

Gildarts would have to tread carefully now. The last thing he needed to do was set Natsu off. He needed to reason with him otherwise this plan would never work. There was no way after 6 straight months of traveling all the way back to Magnolia Gildarts would leave without Natsu. It was for his own good.

"I don't think you understand the position you're in. I thought you finally were starting to grow up but I guess I was wrong."

Probably not the best approach.

"You KNOW how much they mean to me! And you're asking me to leave them...just like that!?"

Yes he knows, he watched Natsu grow up a helpless child looking desperately for Igneel the only family he ever knew. Always craving attention and wanting to love and be loved. The guild became his new family...that he would do anything to protect...especially his guild mate Lucy. And finally...his child Ami was born into this world. Family is the absolute most important and precious object of Natsu's devotion. Gildarts more than anyone would know...and that's why he's here now.

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to but it's only going to get worse. I'm trying to help you, you can train to learn to control that power. And if you don't...that power you have could end up hurting the same family you are trying so hard to protect."

Natsu began to get light headed. The thought of accidentally hurting his family was absolutely tearing him apart. He grabbed the sides of his head trying to stop what was going on. But he couldn't...

He started losing control. "Dammit! Dammit! **Dammit**!"

Flames erupted everywhere around him causing Gildarts to jump back to avoid getting burned. Natsu yelled out causing a powerful roar to erupt into the air above him. Following his little episode he brought his knees in and rested his elbows on top of them, he lowered his head and covered it with his hands. He felt defeated. How could he go back to them now? Knowing full well they would be in danger. What choice did he have...?

After sitting in silence for about an hour or two Natsu finally stood up and sluggishly walked over to Gildarts who had fallen asleep waiting for him. Natsu kicked his side lightly to shake him awake. Gildarts could see the anguish all over Natsu's face like he was about to break.

"Let's go..."

They went back to Natsu's house there was no way he could leave without saying good bye at the very least. It's like his life was going in slow motion, spiraling downward into a dark void. Where it was cold and he was all alone. Gildarts stood outside in the front yard waiting as Natsu went inside. Lucy was laying on the couch reading a book. He wandered over getting her attention, she sat up and stared at him waiting for him to make a move.

He opened his mouth but the words wouldn't come...he just silently looked into her eyes drinking in this moment. What if the training didn't work, would he **never** be able to come back? His stomach felt a little sick...

"What's up?" She spoke softly, he seemed distressed and she wanted to ease that.

It was now or never, "I uh...I'm going on a trip."

"You're leaving? Right now!?"

He heard the slight panic in her voice. Without looking her in the eyes he gave an emotionless reply, "Yeah."

"When are you coming back?" She stood up without even thinking.

She wanted answers, this was so sudden. Why would Natsu all of a sudden want to go on a trip? Especially with how clingy he's been recently.

"I don't know..." His voice was cold, his mind was somewhere else.

Natsu didn't look to see her reaction, he turned around and went in the direction of the bedroom.

He paused for a moment, his hand on the door knob. "I'm going to say goodbye to Ami."

Leaving her speechless and without an explanation he went in and closed to door behind him. Lucy fell down to her knees, she couldn't even stand anymore. It hurt so much, but...it had to be done before Natsu's 'condition' got any worse.

The bedroom was dark, Ami's crib was against the window with moonlight shining over her. Their angel was sleeping through all of the commotion. Natsu was standing over the crib trying not to break down in front of his little girl. It was too late, he slid down against the bars as the tears began to fall...his forehead pressed against the cold crib bars, arms lifeless at his sides. Why couldn't he just control his own fears? Did Ami have to suffer because of his own faults? He felt so lost...his heart was breaking just imagining leaving her side. He was hyperventilating, is this how Igneel felt...?

Natsu felt a light smack on his forehead bringing his attention to the tiny figure in front of him. He must have woken her up...Ami's right hand was resting on his forehead, she had a pacifier in her mouth but he could tell she was upset. He still felt weak, not really sure what to do or say next. So he sat in silence next to her for a long time knowing this would be the last time he would see her for a while.

"Ami..." He lowered the crib bars and lifted her up and into his arms.

It literally hurt his chest when he spoke...he wished someone would just rip his heart out now. Knowing that when she woke tomorrow he wouldn't be there made it too hard to say goodbye. Because waking up without your father...

He couldn't do it...he couldn't speak the bitter words of farewell. But he had to, he needed to go...because **everything** he did would be for Ami. Without thinking he unwrapped the precious cloth he had around his neck and re-wrapped it lightly once around Ami's. The tears and pain just wouldn't stop...she looked up at him questioningly but he refused to look back. He lifted her up and put her back into the crib and brought the bars back up. She was leaning against them holding herself up wanting to be picked up again. He couldn't...he needed to go now before he changed his mind. He wiped his tears quickly before opening the door, Ami started to cry pulling on his oh so sensitive heart strings. It took every fiber in his body to not turn around at that moment...he held his breath and closed the door behind him...

Lucy unexpectedly flew into his arms crying uncontrollably. Natsu pulled her close breathing her in. Why did this have to be such an emotional roller coaster? "Stop it Luce...you know I don't like to see you cry."

She just shook her head in his arms and let the tears fall, Happy who was watching from a safe distance didn't dare say a word. Natsu sighed and pushed her away for a moment allowing him to walk over to the tree trunk by the front door where his old bed used to be.

Lucy panicked, "Wait don't go yet!"

He looked over confused as he reached up and pulled out something he had hid there for a while.

"I was saving this for a better moment...but..." Natsu seemed lost in thought as he came back to her.

His left arm snaked around her waist and brought her into a deep passionate kiss. It really made him want to stay...Lucy was so distracted she didn't hear something fall to the ground. Natsu took this opportunity and skillfully slid something onto her left hand ring finger...

She broke the kiss, gasping, her eyes were wide staring at a beautifully cut stone and intricate band now embellishing her left hand. It didn't stop the tears though, only made them worse. Now she was shaking feeling a whole mess of emotions, not sure if she was happy or horribly heartbroken. She had this looming feeling that it was going to be a long time until she saw him again. He pulled her back into him wrapping her in a tight embrace not wanting to let go.

He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Save your tears...for when I come back..."

She stood, stunned, tears still running down her face. Natsu pulled away and turned heading for the door.

He opened it and paused for a moment, "Happy...take care of them while I'm gone, OK?"

Happy nodded slowly also taken in by the water works. Natsu shut the door behind him, wishing he hadn't...

And that was it...he was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>So...my heart broke to pieces when I wrote this. I was so inspired that I actually drew a picture of part of the chapter(I don't want to spoil it go look at it!).

**1. **If you are reading this and you like anything about this story I want you to indulge me. I drew a picture for you because I wanted to show you guys how much I love you :D. I don't care about my Mari one, she's a bitch anyway. But the new one I drew...It's actually awesome. I can't post a link here so I put it in my profile!


	4. Mission

**Author's note: **Geez some people got a little ahead of themselves in the reviews!

**Response to guest review:** I think I recall stating in chapter 2 that I don't do anything without a reason. Also how long do you think I'm going to have Natsu gone for!? I thought out the plot for this story a while ago. This is only the beginning, please fasten your seat belt, and hold on for dear life. :D

* * *

><p>"You didn't have to make it so dramatic you know. We'll come back to see them again soon." Gildarts was walking casually with his arms behind his head.<p>

It was light now, they had been walking all night. The road ahead was long and winding and it would be at least a few weeks to get to their destination. Natsu didn't say a word lost deep in his thoughts. The silence was stifling. It was like talking to a brick wall. Natsu was never like this. Leaving his family really took a huge toll on his sanity, it challenged everything that he believed in up until now.

"C'mon lighten up! Makarov gave me the OK to take you on an important S ranked mission. You should be more excited about it."

Natsu's mind was playing through that night over and over again. His heart ached, this was the worst feeling he has experienced EVER. Ami and Lucy were his whole world. This whole situation absolutely sucked.

"What kind of bastard leaves his little girl." He sounded so spiteful.

Natsu was feeling more than a bit conflicted inside. How could he just leave them like that?

Gildarts let out a discontented sigh and shook his head,"Don't be like that. You didn't **leave** them. You're just going on a...really long mission."

Natsu took in a deep breath clearing his head and took in what Gildarts was saying.

"Just a mission...?" Natsu spoke under his breath and stopped in his tracks.

This was just a mission. Something that Natsu knew a lot about, he had been doing missions for most of his life up until now. This situation **wasn't** any different from a really long mission! He realized now how stupid he was being, his heartache was misplaced. A mission and then he could go home!

Gildarts turned his head, curious as to what might have stopped the pink haired slayer, "What is it?"

He was shocked...Natsu formed a giant grin on his face and his eyes were filled with determination.

"I'm going to master this power. I will and when I'm done...I'm gonna marry Lucy. And then I'm gonna teach Ami everything I know about dragon slayer magic."

Gildarts smiled, that's the Natsu he remembered, "Yeah...lets get this over with and get you back home."

* * *

><p>It was a long night. It took forever for Lucy to finally drift off into a deep slumber. Natsu had been acting really strange recently, even small things set him off lately. She knew deep inside that this "trip" he was taking had something to do with it. Whatever was going on had to be important enough for him to leave so suddenly...she knew that but...it was still tearing her apart. What possibly could be happening that he wouldn't tell her about it? These thoughts circulated through her head all night until she finally slept. Her dreams were plagued with nightmarish images, things she hadn't experienced since Ami was born. She was sucked into this awful nightmarish reality haunted by the face of...Mari.<p>

It felt so real she could hear Natsu's voice calling out to her, pounding his fists against a ice casing that surrounded her. She could hear her name over and over again it only got louder as time went on until the dream finally shattered. She was shaken awake by a familiar blue feline.

"Lucy!...Ami's crying!" Happy hovered over her face with a worried look in his eyes.

"Huh?" Lucy held her head and focused her eyes to the crib across the room.

Soon as Happy mentioned it the crying finally started to hit against her eardrums. She got up hurriedly to Ami's side, she was about to pick her up when something stopped her. For a moment she forgot everything else only lost starting at Natsu's scarf draped over their child. It hurt to look at, even causing her to go breathless for that one moment before attending to Ami's needs. She didn't cry, it made her happy in a twisted way. Her eyes wandered to her left hand and a sense of warmth washed over her. He loved them both so much and she would be strong and wait for him to come back...no matter what.

With Natsu gone Ami seemed to be even more distressed than normal, her needs were of course taken care of and Lucy tried her best to give as much love and affection as possible. But it was hard to fill the void, Natsu gave Ami his undivided attention whenever possible. It was one of those quirks Lucy found attractive in him. Now she needed to do it all on her own and it was extremely exhausting. Even with Happy's occasional help.

A few days passed by and the Guild was starting to get restless. Rumors were always spreading around like wildfire since the Mari incident, it made a lot of things go out of whack. A lot of the young women in the guild were quite jealous of Lucy's predicament. Stuck together with the guy she loved and forced to make a baby. Like a secret fantasy that no one wanted to admit to. It set off a domino effect, seeing how happy Lucy and Natsu were together and how cute Ami is made all of them want to get married and have kids. Closer more intimate relationships were starting to bloom, to the guys it was a bit scary.

Most of them didn't complain about it though, the girls were just more...open about wanting to start a family. Levy wasn't as forward as say Juvia, who is now an unstoppable baby wanting force, but she spent all of her free time with Gajeel. He was a lot more accepting of their new found closeness than other guys, especially after their escapades about the mountains months before. It just felt like a natural progression to them. Levy was sitting at the bar reading a romance novel when Mira walked over.

"Well someone looks happy." Mira rang happily.

Levy blushed and closed the book, she couldn't stop the smile now creeping up on her lips. "Oh you know why."

Mira's frowned and propped her head up on her elbow getting in close to the blue haired mage, "...actually there's something I want you to do for me."

"What is it Mira?" This was sudden and Levy was curious.

"It's Lucy, don't tell anyone but according to my sources Natsu has taken on a dangerous mission with Gildarts. Lucy hasn't been here since so I'm worried about her." Mira whispered being careful that no one else heard, the 'dangerous mission' was a huge secret only a few people in the guild knew about.

"Oh my gosh! I will go right away!" Levy was so worried now about her poor friend.

"Thanks you're the best!" Mira went back to cleaning glasses behind the bar.

Levy got up in a rush barely grabbing the book. Gajeel watched as she ran out the guild hall doors, she sure was in a hurry to get somewhere. Levy ran off to the direction of Natsu's and Lucy's house, catching her breath once she reached the door. She looked into the window and knocked on the door. Lucy was home she could see her standing in front of Ami's high chair. Lucy came over and opened the door carefully, Levy barged in and shut the door behind her.

"Levy!? Is everything OK?" Lucy was surprised.

"I heard a rumor from Mira at the guild and I had to come see you." Levy looked up and examined her face, "You look awful!"

"Hey calm down, everything's OK. I'm just a bit tired."

Lucy had bags under her eyes from almost sleepless nights watching over Ami. She was also covered in what looked like baby food. Levy looked past her to the culprit who was covered in goop. Lucy looked back trying to see what Levy found so interesting...and noticed that Ami had somehow found herself covered in her dinner. Lucy went from surprised to disappointed.

She covered her face with her hand and sighed trying to deal with the stress, "Come in and sit down. We'll talk after I get Ami cleaned up."

Levy sat waiting, admiring the roomy decor they had going on. This place seemed a lot less stuffy then the day they moved all the furniture in. Lucy came back and sat down, Ami was in her lap chewing on Natsu's scarf.

Levy let out a soft laugh, "I don't know how sanitary that is...but where **is** Natsu? I can't imagine him just leaving his scarf around."

"He's not here." Lucy was quick to answer, she tried hard not to sound upset about it.

"So it's true then..." Levy seemed deep in thought while she spoke.

"What's true?" Lucy was curious now. What was this rumor?

"Mira told me that Natsu went on a dangerous mission..." Levy sounded a little sad, but her eyes just seemed more determined than anything.

A mission? Well that was new. "Er...He didn't mention anything about any missions. But he did say he didn't know when he was coming back."

"So you've just been here taking care of Ami all by yourself? Why didn't you tell me!?"

The words 'by yourself' seemed to hit a cord in the young blonde. A tear fell from her right eye and down her cheek. But she could only smile, she wasn't really alone, Levy was here. Natsu wasn't really gone either, he would come back. Her heartache was misplaced, she reminded herself that she needed to be strong.

"It's fine, really. I'm a little worried about it but seriously, it's no big deal." Lucy reassured her.

It was tense for a little while until Levy spoke up again, "You're my best friend Lulu, if you need anything at all I'll come running OK?"

Lucy gave her a genuine smile "Thanks Levy. You're the best."

They spoke for hours, talking about all kinds of books and even about the developing relationships at Fairy tail. Lucy was even bold enough to talk about Gajeel and her getting along. After a while Ami had to go to bed and Levy took that as a sign it was time to go home. They exchanged their goodbyes and Levy walked outside, it was so warm even though the sky was now dark. That is when she spotted a dark haired slayer, with his arms crossed, pretending not to notice she was standing there.

"Gajeel? Did you...follow me?" Levy wasn't really sure how to feel about his intrusion.

"No! I was just passing by." Gajeel said, stubborn as usual.

She just smiled and a light blush formed on her cheeks. He was worried about her, she thought that was so cute.

Levy walked up to him and smiled, "Let's go home?"

Gajeel nodded in response, starting off their awkward trip home.

"Would you ever want children Gajeel?" Levy said it kind of out of no where. It's been on her mind recently even if she didn't talk about it, but now she was curious.

"What!? Why would I want to watch over a slobbering brat!?" Gajeel only seemed annoyed.

Levy frowned only feeling a bit disheartened by his harsh response, "Sorry Gajeel, you're right. I guess I shouldn't have asked."

They continued the silent walk back home when Gajeel wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She's so bite sized and cute. The stayed like this for a while blushes spread across their faces, until Gajeel apologetically broke the ice.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I found someone I really..."

He froze up and couldn't finish his sentence. Levy's face was bright red and both of their hearts were pounding HARD.

"Uh...you know what never mind! Just forget I said anything!"

He pulled his arm from her quick trying to recover the cool he lost moments ago. Levy just smiled, turned around so she was walking backwards and looked up at him.

"Me too...I want to have children with the person I love too." Levy's face was still pink from his previous actions.

She turned around and Gajeel stopped. All he could think was oh boy...what the hell did I just do?

"Come on Gajeel! Let's go!" Levy called to him pulling him back to reality.

Awkward conversations aside, it was probably the best walk home they ever had.

* * *

><p>Natsu stood in front of an unlit campfire eagerly awaiting orders. It would still take another two weeks to reach the mission's location so in the downtime Natsu was training.<p>

"I'm going to have you do some mental exercises today. While I stand alllll the way back here." Gildarts called out from behind a tree, nervous smile planted on his face. He became more serious when he continued, "I need you to think of Ami, imagine her...being hurt."

Natsu just had a look of disgust when he closed his eyes. Instantly his body flared up and the ground was sparking, the campfire which was in front of him set on fire and blew up without him even touching it. Gildarts grabbed a stick and approached very carefully trying not to break Natsu's concentration. He held it out and inched closer until the tip of the stick caught fire, then he slammed it to the ground breaking the burning part off and marking the ground. He did that for the entire diameter around Natsu's body.

"Alright you can relax now." Gildarts dropped the stick and observed the lines he drew into the dirt.

Natsu was breathing heavily, this used up a lot of his magic power to do, "So?"

"Same tonight. Looks like the magic number is about 5 feet." Gildarts said as he walked along the circular line.

Like a barrier...it forms around him setting anything that enters ablaze. What would happen if he could master this power?

"So I have a proposal now that were sure..." Gildarts looked up to the sky in thought for only a moment.

Natsu waited curiously for his response.

"You should constantly think about them being hurt. It could be a way of numbing the thought, and eventually after having it up all the time you could gain control of the area around you. It **is** just a theory though, I can't guarantee it'll work."

Natsu smirked and took the challenge head on, "Alright, let's do this!"

Natsu flared up again without another thought, he was tired but to him this was nothing compared to the pain of leaving them behind. He would stop these outbursts so he could return home to them again...

* * *

><p>At the council headquarters Lahar and Doranbolt were on the way to the briefing room. Apparently it was urgent, they had to go meet with the head council members right away.<p>

"So have you heard? A dragon slayer had a child." Lahar was smiling, it was nice to get good news.

"Wait...WHAT?" Doranbolt looked horrified, "Is it Wendy's?"

"Wha? No. It's Natsu Dragneel's child." Lahar gave him a dumbfounded look.

Doranbolt sighed with relief, "So you think that's why they called us?"

"Most likely." Lahar spoke as he opened the door in front of them.

They walked in and it was rather dark and quiet. But they could see from the light shining in through the door that there were a few figures sitting across the room on an elevated podium. The door shut behind the two and only a very dim light lit everything up. Curious, it seems they went through a lot to make sure this meeting was secret.

"Lahar...Doranbolt..." A man spoke with a loud and intimidating voice "We have a mission for you. We need you to do this...for the greater good."


	5. Reunion

**Author's note: **So I have two finals today! Wish me luck! Some may have noticed I changed the summary a bit to include an idea I had been wrestling with for a while. It was going to happen at some point anyway I just wanted to see how far I would go while writing some future scenes. Enjoy Chapter 5~

* * *

><p>"Here Ami open wide!" Lucy spoke with a huge grin on her face.<p>

Ami looked so content munching on her food. She was growing so fast, another three months had gone by and Ami grew to have quite the appetite. So much like her father. Lucy missed him so much...she wish he would send her a letter or **something**. At least then she wouldn't feel so anxious all the time. Was Natsu even still alive? Ami was starting to babble out sounds now, trying to communicate her little heart out. It felt depressing to say the least. Would Natsu miss her first words _and_ her first steps? What about Ami's first birthday...would he miss that too?

It was so hard for her not to break thinking about her poor baby. She loved Ami with all her heart and she just wished Natsu would come home. Ami probably missed him more than she did and it was breaking Lucy's heart. Ami was 9 and a half months old and hasn't seen her father in over three months...

* * *

><p>The mountainous region just north of Crocus was experiencing a catastrophe. A wild beast native to this region has reactivated a volcano threatening to blow it up at any given moment, completely destroying Crocus. Usually these powerful creatures are quite docile and do not attack or even approach mankind. All of these reasons are why they needed a Fairy tail wizard. Or in this case two since Natsu was stuck tagging along, at first Gildarts thought this job would be an easy open-shut mission when he heard about the volcano.<p>

Quick Flash back:

_"Cant you just eat the lava?" Gildarts said directed towards his dragon slayer companion, it seemed like such a good idea at the time.  
><em>

_Natsu turned his head and gave him a dumbfounded look, "WHAT, No way! That's just so wrong on so many levels. I wouldn't ask **you** to eat molten dirt..."  
><em>

_"Heh, I guess you have a point there." He was feeling pretty stupid now.  
><em>

Turns out he was wrong.

Natsu and Gildarts were on the lookout for this wild beast by camping on the volcano. Also would be convenient just in case it did blow. Since they have arrived Natsu has only been able to pick up faint scents of wild animals that he had never experienced before. No sign of any wild beasts, if this volcano wasn't so clearly ready to blow, one would assume nothing was happening up here. They had been camped out here for about 2 and a half months and still literally nothing had happened.

"Starting to get the chills out here." Gildarts was moving closer to the campfire, putting up his hands.

Gildarts was right...it was unsettling but beyond that it was getting cold and winter was quickly approaching. This atmosphere reminded Natsu of his time spent on those cold snow covered peaks during the Mari incident. He clung to Lucy and his unborn child carrying them to safety through the snow storm. He was so afraid Lucy was about to die out there...but then Ami was born.

"Winter's going to be here soon..." Suddenly Natsu felt sad.

_Ami's birthday is coming up._

"Yeah well we shouldn't be up here by the time the first snowfall comes." Gildarts stretched his arms up and cracked his back, aiming to relax.

_The first snowfall of winter_. _The day Ami was brought into this world._

"I want to go home after this mission, once were done." And yet there was still hope.

_I want to be there for her._

Gildarts laid down ready to take a nap, "Well I mean you've improved a lot, but when you **do** think about them getting hurt you still can't control it completely. It could be dangerous for them."

_As long as I stay calm...it should be OK._

"Seeing them happy always makes me feel calm. I'm sure I can handle it!" Natsu didn't want to sound too desperate but it was starting to feel that way.

_Because I love them both._

Gildarts laughed softly, "Yeah you're right, it might do you some good to see them again. Once we kill this beast or whatever we'll head home."

Natsu's face lit up, that's exactly what he wanted to hear. He just couldn't wait, it scared him to think about how much she might have grown without him. His expression was soft and he leaned back to look up at the sky, barely any clouds. He could hear Gildarts start to snore. Natsu's mind was else where, he wanted to make up for his lost time...and even though that wasn't entirely possible...he wanted to give Ami the best birthday ever.

Natsu picked up a strong scent heading their way knocking him right back from day dream land. A low growl was heard behind him, something was within his 5 foot radius, he could feel the heat of their presence. Images and thoughts of Lucy an Ami flooded his mind and the area around him flared up. Causing the creature to double back and howl in pain.

Gildarts was shaken awake, "W-Wha...What the hell is that!?"

Natsu finally turned around to face his attacker. This animal was huge, it's head was similar to a wolf but it stood on it's two hind legs. It had a mane that extended around it's neck, a long fluffy tail, and massive claws. It was kind of confusing, was this the creature that set the volcano off?

In a soft breathy voice it whispered, "Kill...humans...kill...humans..."

"It's lost it's mind. Stand back." Gildarts was about to get serious.

Natsu just wanted in on the action, "What!? Let me handle this!"

"No. This one's mine." He was already in his battle stance.

The wolf like creature jumped in at Gildarts who retaliated by using magic. While the fighting was going on the volcano started to rumble. That definitely wasn't good. Natsu took that as his queue to go check things out on the peaks. He stared down into the depths of the molten rock that was now steadily rising and building pressure. Crap...What now?

"Natsu! We can't let it blow! Get to the base and let out the gasses that are building up down there!" Gildarts was actually having a hard time.

The creature was possessed by something or not within it's own nature. He didn't want to permanently damage the poor thing, just incapacitate it and return it to normal. Natsu ran down the mountain, picking up massive speed as he went. Once he made it down to the bottom he took note of many areas of rock that were moving and rising up. That must be where the gas build up is.

Natsu raised his arm and punched the ground with full force using his Fire Dragon's iron fist. The air shot up out from the new chasm and blew him up into the air along with the gas.

Gildarts finally had the wolf like creature on the ground, pinned and restricting its air flow just to knock it out. It struggled to try and free itself from his grasp but it was no use, Gildarts was way too strong. It gave out a pained howl before slipping into unconsciousness. The volcano calmed down too, partly because of Natsu's efforts and because of the creature being subdued. Natsu wandered up tiredly to the campsite, he really hit the ground hard on the way down. It made him wish Happy were here! Happy always caught him when he fell from ridiculous heights.

Once Natsu made it back he saw Gildarts use some sort of magic on the wolf beast, it started to transform ever so slightly. It's claws retracted and it's jaw line receded to be more dog like. Now the creature even looked friendly. It woke up, befuddled, not even remembering where it was or how it got here. Apparently this dog like creature was preventing the volcano from erupting for years. A wizard might have caused this fiasco as a prelude to another plan entirely. If the dog beast had died then the volcano probably would have blown anyway...so why control it?

"Thank you so much kind Fairy tail wizards. I must return to my home now at the base of the mountain and get this volcano back to it's original state." The dog pushed off the ground for a high leap all the way down to level ground.

"I don't like this. Something rather suspicious is going on." Gildarts seemed deep in thought.

The real bad guy could be waiting to make another move, "You think so?"

"Yeah, I'm going to worry about that later. For now let's go, you wanted to go home right?"

Natsu nodded enthusiastically with his wide grin. It's all he could think about, back home to his family.

* * *

><p>"Oh wow I can't believe Ami is going to be 1 years old tomorrow! She's so adorable!" Levy fawned over their cute little baby.<p>

"Less talky more decorating!" Lucy was standing on a wooden chair putting up a happy birthday banner.

The atmosphere was so light tonight, Lucy seemed to be in a better than normal mood, the decorations looked awesome. Ami' birthday was going to be wonderful. Everything would be ready for the big day tomorrow and the whole guild was invited. Aside from a few people who honestly couldn't make it pretty much everyone was going. Levy came over early this morning to help set everything up, she tried to get Gajeel to help too but he wasn't having that.

"You seem to be doing much better these days." Levy was hoping Lucy finally was feeling better.

"I'm just not thinking about it. It makes me too sad." Definitely not the response Levy was hoping for.

Not the best way to deal with your problems. Sweeping them under the rug and pretending they aren't there is only going to lead to problems. Maybe it wont be a huge issue if she gets the chance to talk to Natsu again but he hasn't sent anything to even say hello(He has been out in the wilderness...not that Lucy knows that.). So there was no way to know when he might even be coming back. It was getting really late and Ami needed to go to sleep. The finishing touches were finally complete and Levy took this as a signal to head home. She grabbed her things and Lucy walked her to the door.

"This was so much fun. See you tomorrow Lucy! I can't wait!" Levy was very enthusiastic.

Lucy smiled and embraced her petite friend, "Bye Levy, Thanks again for all your help."

"I will always be there for my girl. Bye!" Levy said while being squished in Lucy's arms.

Levy waved to Lucy and she was off! Tonight was quite the lonely walk home, if only Gajeel were here.

Lucy sighed and put Ami to bed, it was super late and she worked all day to get the decorations for Ami's party up. So it was time to finally rest, she sat down on the sofa and tried hard not to get too enraptured in her thoughts. Because she knew, as soon as it happened Natsu was going to cross her mind. She didn't want to think about him, not right now. It hurt a little bit too much because tomorrow was Ami's first birthday and still no word...

The lights went off...Lucy's alertness rose dramatically. Her pulse sky rocketed as the door flew open, her eyes looked absolutely terrified. Slowly making her way to the bedroom door across the room while simultaneously reaching for her key. Two silhouettes were standing at her front door, waiting for her to make a move.

Her frightened and terrified form managed to force words from her trembling lips, "W-Who are you...?"


	6. I'm so sorry

**Author's note: **So this chapters pretty steamy, please don't read unless you're old enough. I really loved writing this and I hope you love reading it!

A reviewer told me to look up the definition of mortified...it can be used in a number of ways. Updated so no one else comments on it ;).

* * *

><p>Natsu and Gildarts were on their way back. It took much longer to come home then it did to arrive at Crocus. Natsu took a couple of pit stops on the way plus there was already fresh snow on the ground which made it harder to travel. Tonight is the night before Ami's first birthday, Natsu wanted to surprise Lucy and Ami with his return. He figured it would make the occasion even more special, that and he got Ami a giant stuffed dragon toy as a present. It was big and red, kind of reminded him of Igneel.<p>

They were so close now he could almost smell them. That's when Natsu stopped, frozen in place, absolutely mortified(Meaning confused, subdued, and very unhappy). He lost his grin and almost his composure.

"Whats up?" Gildarts turned his head

"Blood...I smell blood..." He choked on his words.

He didn't exactly know how to feel, his head felt like it was spinning, he wanted to run as fast as he could. But he was afraid, something terrifying was going to be waiting for him. He darted past Gildarts in the direction of his house at full speed, there was no time to waste. No energy to think, why were these things always happening to the people he loved. His house was dark and cold; lifeless. There were fresh foot prints on the ground leading to his front door, which was slightly open.

He saw a body there...laying across the floor. Blonde hair, he ran in tossing the stuffed dragon to the side. He sat Lucy's lifeless body up and placed his head against her chest. Natsu was breathing heavily but it was relief, her heart was going very strong. He examined her and although there was blood most of her cuts were minor. It was safe to move her. Natsu brought her to their bed room, she woke up on the way, tears welling up in her eyes. Lucy was happy Natsu was back, but she wasn't sure if maybe she was dreaming or not. He laid her down gently so she was propped up against the pillows and knelt down next to her. He laid his head down against the mattress, trying not to think of what came next.

Lucy's arm was over her eyes and the tears would just not stop, "She's gone...they took her."

He already knew...Ami's scent was so faint. Natsu's body was trembling, built up with massive amounts of rage and inexplicable sadness. It became too much, he pushed off the bed and ran into the next room trying not to combust the whole house. It looked like somebody who had just gotten so sick to their stomach they had to run to the nearest receptacle. Lucy just watched as he writhed in the next room, tortured by the current circumstances. Gildarts was standing in the door way, not really sure how to feel right now. He heard Lucy's words, he knew what had happened...but how is he supposed to fix it? Natsu walked up to him like he was about to punch him out. Gildarts didn't flinch, he just watched.

Instead he grabbed Gildarts by the collar of his jacket, "WHAT WAS IT ALL **FOR**!? WHY DID I TRAIN SO HARD!? WHY!?"

"That's enough. You've got better things to do." Natsu looked up wishing Gildarts would just give him an answer already, "Stay with Lucy and comfort her. I will be by in the morning and we will head out then."

Natsu took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm himself, "...were...gonna go...save Ami? You too?"

"Hey...I feel partly responsible. Get some rest alright? We **just** got back. I'm going to the guild to crank out some information, then I'm going to get some sleep. You should do the same."

Natsu nodded and watched as Gildarts walked away off in the direction of the guild. He closed the door, the house was so dark. Wait, _Where the hell is Happy?_ He returned to the bedroom and closed that door too. Lucy looked like she had it rough...Natsu felt terrible for what he put her through. It probably would be a good idea to at least make sure she's taken care of, both physically and mentally. He walked past her into the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" She asked weakly.

"To get you some bandages, do you know anything about who attacked you?"

"Two men...one was super fast. I summoned Leo but he got past him and attacked me directly. I didn't even have a chance to react." Lucy felt so weak and worthless...

Natsu came back in with the med-kit in his arm and laid it on the bed, "Don't even worry about it, I'm going to get her back Luce."

She sat and waited for him to come back over with some disinfecting gel and bandages. Just as he was about to start applying it across her abdomen her hand reached up lightly touching his face. He stopped and looked at her questioningly, her breathing became erratic followed by uncontrollable sobs.

"It's not a dream...you're really here..." She got up on her knees and leaned into him.

He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into an intimate hug. He breathed her in, a nostalgic and sweet scent filled him, circulating his lungs.

"I missed you so much..." Her words were muffled into his chest.

Natsu wholeheartedly returned her sentiment, "I missed you too."

He missed everything about the home they made together...Lucy pushed away from him slightly. She was so stressed, everything that happened was so devastating. Losing Ami and being alone, she just wanted this stupid nightmare to end. She leaned up and kissed him, his lips were the exactly type of warmth she was looking for, he kissed her back. It was like a trigger, he pushed her back on the bed and his needy hands explored every inch of her body. This was hard for him too, its not like he wanted to leave her for so long. It left him with a desire he long forgot, which now took him over like an intense thirst. He felt an impatient need to be quenched, burning her clothes from her body, removing all barriers while taking off his own.

The heat in the room was rising but Lucy felt goose bumps as he touched her. His head moved down kissing and nipping at her bare and wanting body. Her face was flushed it felt like she was being assaulted by his wonderful greed, he wanted to taste every inch of her. He desired her, all of her. Once he reached her woman hood, he didn't hesitate, she hadn't been touched there for almost a year. An almost breathless gasp escaped her lips as he came in contact, there was no way he could keep pleasuring her for long. He relished in her moans of pleasure driving him closer and closer to taking her and making her his again. She moved, surprising him, placing her hands on his shoulders and shoving him against the bed. Lucy was breathing heavily, her body was in overdrive and she couldn't take anymore, she craved more. Climbing on top of him and kissing him passionately before pushing him inside of her. Lucy broke the kiss unable to keep quiet, she sat up and threw her head back.

"Natsu!" Lucy moaned his name loudly, feeling his entire length filling her insides.

A loud moan erupted in response from his lips as he pressed upwards going in as deep as possible. It was so hot, Natsu couldn't hold back anymore. The blanket they were on was smouldering, the euphoric pleasure made him lose all semblance of self control. He could feel her every move...his moans roared from inside him. He felt an urge to be closer to her, to kiss the woman who could make him feel so fucking good. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her in closer to him locking lips with urgency. Her legs wrapped around him. The blankets had already caught fire heating them up elevating this sensual experience to a new high. Both of their bodies were dripping with sweat as they ravished each others mouths, only increasing their need to release the need building in their systems.

Natsu pushed her back onto the bed not breaking from the kiss and keeping her legs firmly around him. He started to move again and he had to break it, it was just way too much. He was so close, both of them were moaning together in pleasure.

He was right on the edge and let out a load moan, "Lucy-!"

His hand slammed down hard against the bed and flames exploded around his body and he pushed as far into her as he could. That motion sent her right over the threshold- hearing her name and feeling the heat and pressure of his body. She clamped around him as he released himself into her, followed by eager kisses and quiet moans as they came down from the exhilaration.

The flames died down but their comforter and sheets were completely destroyed. Their bodies were completely soaked, even their hair was wet. Natsu rolled off to the side trying to catch his breath.

"That was...amazing..." He managed to breathe out.

Lucy couldn't even reply to that, but it made her stomach feel like it was in a knot. All her senses were on fire...it felt wonderful, her whole body felt warm. Once Natsu could move again he got up and picked Lucy up. He brought her into the bathroom so they could shower together. He washed her body, kissing her wounds as he went. How he let this happen to her he didn't know, he still felt so attached, so protective over her. Unfortunately in the morning this would be all over, there was no way he could risk bringing Lucy with him. There were a lot of reasons why, she would be in danger from the enemy and potentially himself. If he needed to be at full power to save Ami having Lucy around would make him hold back.

Lucy returned the favor and scrubbed him down. This time it turned into a playful fight with bubbles. Lucy's heart felt much lighter, she knew that Natsu would do anything to save Ami. It gave her hope again...something she desperately needed these past months. It was just incredibly sad circumstances...the stress of it all was too great which resulted in this huge release.

Once done they both dried off and went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a very important day.

* * *

><p>Gildarts grabbed a piece of paper off the counter in the guild hall and stared it down. A picture of an ankh...and that is all.<p>

"Are you sure about this...?" Gildarts said rather frustrated.

Mira replied, "Yep...I'm 100% sure. This most definitely isn't going to end well, I know Natsu isn't going to hold back."

"Natsu's back!?" Happy overheard and couldn't stop himself. He was just so god damned happy!

"Yeah but uh...you should stay at my house tonight." Gildarts said nervously.

"Why?" Happy looked up curiously...

There was an uncomfortable silence between them.

Until Gildarts broke the ice, "You knooow...*Hums a symbolic tune*"

Happy was going to open his mouth again but he swallowed that notion as the realization of what **that **meant hit him. And he agreed to go with him and sleep at his place.

* * *

><p>Doranbolt stared at the white walls that surrounded him, a small room with a bed and a round window. Ami was on the bed screaming her head off, Natsu's scarf right next to her. He watched sadly, there was nothing he could do to fix her problem. She was probably scared and hungry, he had no food and he couldn't take her home.<p>

"I'm sorry Ami...this is all my fault. I wish I didn't have to do the dirty work of the council...if I hadn't none of this would be happening right now." Doranbolt said as he buried his face into his knees.

_This situation just keeps getting worse._


	7. My Companion

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

* * *

><p>Morning...it came in a flash. The sun rose over the horizon creating a blood red imprint across the sky. Burning like the deep seeded fires of revenge. Natsu got up promptly as soon as the sunlight hit his eyes. Lucy felt him stir and woke up right after, she sat up and watched him get out of bed.<p>

She leaned forward and pleaded before he even had the chance to leave the room, "Please...let me come with you..."

"No." He didn't even turn to face her when he spoke.

This was so very hard for him, of course he wanted Lucy to come. He feels the strongest when she's around normally but under these circumstances it was impossible. Right now Ami is still alive as far as he knows and he needs to do what needs to be done to get her back. Whatever that is...

Her voice screamed desperately from the inside, this wasn't what she wanted anymore, "Why! I'm strong too...I love her too!"

He spun around, returned to the bed, and pulled her into his arms. Natsu was lucky to have this opportunity to spend time with Lucy at all and he knew that. Once he left the safety of his house this calm...was over.

"I'm not completely in control anymore...I might KILL you! I couldn't live with myself if I did that!" Natsu's face was contorted in frustration.

Lucy held onto him for dear life as the tears came cascading down, "I love you...I love you so much. I'm scared, I want her back."

Natsu pulled away so he could look her in the eyes, "I love you both...and I'm going to show them first hand, they are fucking with the wrong family."

His eyes intensified with a burning hate Lucy rarely saw. She felt a hint of fear, whoever took Ami...Natsu was prepared to erase them wholly from this world.

"Never be alone while I'm gone, you're strong but...there is more strength in numbers. I need you safe so I can return to you with Ami and we can pick up where we left off."

He became softer...never even flinching, this was it he wasn't having this bullshit anymore. Once he found her, Ami was going to be coming back with him and no one was going to stand in his way. Natsu loved his family more than anything in this world, he just wanted it back to the way it was. He grabbed his clothes and got dressed, Lucy slipped into some pajamas. Gildarts would be here soon...

As soon as Natsu left their bedroom there was a knocking at the front door. That had to be him. Lucy stood in the doorway to the bedroom wishing she could be with him. Before leaving her once again Natsu gave her one last passionate kiss goodbye. Finally he opened up the front door, outside Gildarts and the Guild master Makarov were standing there waiting for him.

"Gramps!?" Natsu said half excited and half confused.

Makarov had a huge grin, "What? You think I'm going to sit back while my children's children are in danger!?"

A sense of comfort and warmth filled Natsu, a grin plastered on his face.

"We need to get going. Let's talk more on the way." Gildarts wanted to get this little trip over with.

They left the house just as Levy showed up. She wanted to make sure Lucy was alright. The three of them walked back towards Magnolia instead of away. Natsu followed

Gildarts looked back with a serious expression, "Were going to the council, they're the ones who took Ami."

"_What?_" Natsu responded with a mix of both anger and utter confusion.

"She should be safe. I don't think they would hurt her since she's just a baby."

"Yes...but we must hurry. I've already arranged for transportation." Makarov pointed in the direction of a carriage.

Natsu held back a groan, the situation was too desperate to complain. What was this about though...why would the council be after her? They don't particularly like him but that's not grounds to kidnap his child. There had to be something he was missing here. When they got to the carriage Gildarts turned around and knocked Natsu out, when he woke up again they would already be at their destination.

* * *

><p>They came up to the main council headquarters in Era, Makarov went on ahead. He would try to discuss things more rationally before doing something that might potentially cause loss of life. Natsu was like a ticking time bomb at this point, Makarov could only watch over him so he didn't do something he might regret. So he went first to meet with one of the council members, Gran Doma. A man who never in his life before enjoyed the antics of Fairy tail. It was his order in fact to have Ami removed from them...that is why he answered Makarov's call. When Makarov entered the room on the second floor Gran Doma was already inside waiting, staring out the window.<p>

"Guild master Makarov, what brings you here?" Gran Doma had a sinister tone.

"You know why, I'm here for Ami. I don't know what compelled you to take her from us but-"

"Ami...about that, I'm afraid we can't help you."

Did he have no idea what he was asking for!? This could lead to an all out magic war between the council and the guild of Fairy tail! Not only that but Natsu is already here and his recent power surge was more then enough to wipe out half of the population in this entire structure.

"Her father is here and if you don't return her I can't guarantee I can hold him back! I'm doing this for the guild but I'm here for you too! I don't want to see unnecessary bloodshed."

"That isn't what I meant. We **can't **give her back." His face was fierce, he knew very well what might befall him!

Makarov looked up horrified, that means...

Natsu was awake now right outside of the building. He smelled her, though it was very faint. His chest painfully ached and his body flared up, his imagination and instincts went wild. Gildarts watched partially in horror, he'd seen this before but never ever to this kind of intensity. Even after months of traveling together...he had not experienced this amount of magic power emanating from Natsu's body. And he was on the move, walking towards the council building. Panic came over him, Natsu wasn't completely in control of the area around him yet. Anything or anybody who came within his radius would be badly hurt or even killed.

Gildarts ran after him to keep others away, "Everyone! Get back!"

Makarov could hear the screams of panic from the ground level. It was most likely Natsu blind with rage and fury. He didn't honestly blame him for what he felt. Ami was his precious little girl and she was taken from him. Anyone else would be just as upset...and that's why he would never leave Natsu behind. Lahar stood in the way in front of the doors to Makarov and Gran Doma's meeting place, Natsu approaching slowly.

Gildarts tried to issue a warning, "You need to move. Get as far back as you can away from Natsu."

"I'm not going to just stand aside and let him do as he pleases!" Lahar held his ground.

Natsu ignored Lahar's presence and kept pressing forward to the doors. Once in range Lahar's sleeve burst into flames, followed by the quick reaction time of Gildarts who snuffed out the flames saving Lahar from the immediate danger.

Gildarts whipped Lahar's body from where he was standing to right against the wall, "I said, get the **fuck** back!"

Natsu past them and entered the room, burning the doors on his way in. His eyes peered in every direction, Makarov and Gran Doma stared down the smouldering dragon slayer frozen in place. This is the place where Ami's scent is strongest but...what was this feeling? Here...not here? Ami's scent, she isn't here! It's way too weak; She was here but now she isn't anymore.

"She's not here..." To him the room was spinning.

Gran Doma was angry at himself that things had gone so wrong, "On the way to the holding area she was taken from us. It was Brain from the Oracion seis."

Natsu felt sick, all restraint started to slip away. It was impossible to stop, he was about...to...EXPLODE. Gildarts put an arm on his shoulder to try and calm him down. Natsu smacked Gildarts away and the force even pushed Gildarts back a bit. This was not good.

"Natsu don't!"

Natsu charged at the councilor with full force and power. But something held him back. The area of flames around him dispersed and he stopped right in front of the mans face...but no one else was holding onto him. Natsu grabbed the sides of his own head and yelled out at the top of his lungs. He fell to his knees and proceeded to bash his face into the brick flooring. All of this to attempt to calm his own irrational thoughts.

"What am I supposed to do now HUH!? You want me to control myself when my daughter was taken WHO KNOWS WHERE!?"

Gildarts sighed in relief, that was so close. He prepared himself for the blood bath that was about to ensue but thankfully Natsu was able to stop...but for how long he didn't know. This is all their fault, if they didn't take Ami in the first place none of this would have happened. Natsu wanted to destroy this place and everyone inside, no matter how wrong it felt. It wouldn't bring Ami back...now that someone else has her the situation only grows worse!

* * *

><p>Weeks had gone by and Ami hadn't had a bite to eat. The hours of non-stop crying made everyone avoid the room. Doranbolt had been pleading for hours at a time at the door. He feared for her life and at this rate she wouldn't last much longer. Babies tend to react much more negatively to having no affectionate care. He tried his best to look after her, changing her and what not. At least he had some supplies but he ran out of food long ago.<p>

A dead silence overcame everything. She stopped crying, instead of relieving the tension of hours of noise instead it brought it to a new level of impending doom. Doranbolt could only watch in horror, she was probably starving to death. The fact that she stopped crying meant it was only a matter of time before...

"PLEASE! Somebody...Anybody! She needs food!...can anyone out there hear me!? I don't care if I die or starve to death...but whats the point of kidnapping her...just for this?"

Doranbolt felt so desperate pounding his fists against the white door. It opened with one quick motion and Cobra loomed over him with a box of supplies. Doranbolt didn't know if he should punch him out or thank him.

"Here, just shut her up! I couldn't even get close with her incessant whining!"

It had been weeks since he could even move! Doranbolt took the box thankful to have received anything at all right now. Ami needed to survive otherwise there was no way he could live with himself...not after what he's done. They were trapped in a tower at the far north end of the continent. It was built long ago at the request of Brain when he was still doing experiments to create loyal soldiers for Zeref and the Oracion seis. On the 30th floor there was a huge room, a few stories tall with a large device against the wall.

From left to right...on the left side of it was a closed ten foot tall door way, followed by a panel of controls. Next to that a series of stairs and platforms leading to a gigantic unfinished metal ring with tons of wiring through the middle of it. The ring was at least two and a half times the size of the door and it was emitting fairly powerful magic. Everything in this room was white including the material making up this contraption. But it wasn't yet complete...

"We need to work overtime if the device is to be finished on time." Brain was standing on one of the platforms talking down to his subordinates.

"I don't think I can work any faster!" Racer spoke moving white pieces of metal back and forth across the large room.

"Do we even know if this will work? I didn't sense any power from the girl." Angel was discontented and out of breath.

Brain smirked, "That's because it's sealed, but I could feel it. She's the child of that explosive dragon slayer."

Cobra entered the room, "Salamander..."

"Cobra, It's nice to see you up on your feet again." Brain sounded genuinely happy but Cobra knew better.

"You guys were the ones ignoring her cries. At this rate she's going to die before the portal is even finished!" Cobra was pretty pissed.

He didn't like the idea of leaving a baby to suffer like that, it was his idea to take Doranbolt up on his offer as her care taker.

"Go get more food for her to eat then. We have better things to do then lounge around like you." Midnight said...but wasn't really doing much of anything either.

"I wasn't lounging around! Her cries are debilitating!"

"Whatever Cobra, stop complaining and just follow orders~" Angel liked messing with him too, it was too hard to resist!

Cobra face-palmed, how he ended up with this job he'll never know.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>So I have been slowing down with my updates recently. It's not because I want to it's because I'm home for the holidays and things have been a little rough since I got here. I'm also developing a cold. I will be updating still it's just not going to be like EVERY DAY. I also have other stories I'm working on too. Thanks for reading I hope you are enjoying it.

**1. **Next chapter will go into whats going on and why along with a few other scenes about what happens next. I like having "villain screen time" in my stories too so you won't be in the dark for too long. Don't feel like I'm doing this by accident and that I wont tell you why these things are happening ;). It's just part of the story.


	8. Starvation

This whole thing was just so wrong. The magic council was the one who kidnapped Ami in the first place! Even though they sent some of their own after Ami, in the end they weren't successful in getting her back. Natsu was expected to keep his cool...which in this situation was probably the hardest thing he has ever had to do so far.

"I can see the intense look in your eyes. I know it's hard but you have to remain in control." Gildarts spoke calmly, trying to ease Natsu's worries.

They were standing outside of the room now, listening into the master's conversation. There had to be some missing information, as always, so it was wise to stay and at the very least hear what Gran Doma had to say. Natsu was on edge at this point and he could absolutely not sit still. His body was constantly twitching, hungry, for some kind of fight to ease his **pain**. The thought of Ami being hurt made him feel his own brand of agony.

His voice reflected that, "I can't stay here. Her scent is getting more faint by the second."

Gildarts sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. If Cana were in the same situation there was no way he would be sitting around, that's for sure. So if Natsu did decide to leave...Gildarts couldn't tell him **not** to go.

"Just...wait...listen in on their conversation so you at least know what you're dealing with. There's no sense in running into a situation blindly." Gildarts was trying hard to calm him down before Natsu did something he might regret.

Natsu didn't respond he just closed his eyes so he could pay attention to what was going on further inside. He knew it would be dangerous but this is so much more important than himself. Ami...Lucy...he swore he would protect them both for as long as he lives. He really meant what he said.

Gildarts put his right hand on Natsu's left shoulder, "Look, I just don't want you to do something stupid and get yourself killed. If that happened then what would become of Ami?"

That's true what would become of Ami, who would save her then? Natsu's own thoughts were silenced by the loud voices inside the next room.

"I think you owe me at the very least an explanation!" Makarov was done messing around.

This whole thing had gone too far!

Gran Doma nodded and gave him a grim look, "Once we were informed of a child being born to a dragon slayer we took the opportunity to do a little research. There is very little known about dragons and their slayer counterparts...but with a little insight and some first person accounts we were able to piece together shocking evidence supporting our urgency to take action!"

"I'm listening."

Makarov knew the council had a habit of overreacting and trying to take things into their own hands. Regardless of their reasons taking Ami was going to unacceptable to him. He would take care of that matter at a later date, but right now he **needs **to know the reason behind this sudden action.

"We know that dragon slayers are humans but from what we've learned they all share a very specific genome that allows them to take on dragon-like characteristics. Dragons can pick out the types of humans who can inherit their power and use it, allowing them to pass on dragon slaying magic. And as I said it's a genome which means it can be genetically passed on. It can also not be passed on- but if it is...there is a very good chance they will be used in an attempt to reach out to Hell."

_Did he just say...!?_

"Hell!? Is that even possible?"

"Part of this is based off of a file we have locked away about dragons. Even though it was very vague we were able to use it along with a culmination of legends about dragons to draw these conclusions. There is evidence to now support that this very same genome can be used to turn humans into demons. Some of them can even be sacrificed to open the gates to hell...the resting place for Zeref's demons.

We didn't know for sure if Ami would have that capability but none the less we needed to be **absolutely certain**. Let me just say that our findings were conclusive...we planned to keep her here. But once we knew what we were dealing with the Orachion seis decided to act and stole her away. I don't know for sure what they are planning but we did try everything in our power to get her back."

As soon as Makarov heard the word "_sacrificed_" his stomach churned. His eyes closed and his fist clenched. He should have been watching over them more carefully...he shouldn't have allowed this to happen.

Makarov looked sadly at the floor, "So Ami shares the dragon slayer gene?"

"We can confirm. She can become a dragon slayer." Gran Doma had one thing left to do, the real reason behind Ami's kidnapping, "Makarov there is...one more thing."

"What is it?"

"It's Tartarus...I'm sure you have noticed their movements. We assumed Tartarus would want this power and so the order to take Ami was made. That is how we are here now. Though the council didn't foresee the Orachion seis acting out as they have...it was just an unfortunate turn of events."

"Tartarus...so then it's as I thought...this matter between us is far from over, expect to see me again once we have Ami back in our custody." Makarov paused to get his bearing, he would need to come up with a plan and quick,"...Alright, Gildarts!"

Gildarts came in through the doors avoiding eye contact with the guild master, "Uh, yes?"

"Get Natsu, were going back to Magnolia."

Gildarts nervous rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin, "About that...Natsu kind of just left."

"WHAT!?"

Natsu was already far gone, he heard what he needed to on the way out. This was no time to be sitting around, if he had to travel all over the continent to track her down that is exactly what he intended to do. But to wait any longer might mean to lose any chance he had! At least he could still use their scent to try and catch up.

_I will never give up looking for you...Ami..._

* * *

><p>Back at the guild hall Lucy sat in wait, hoping, praying for some kind of good news. She hadn't slept...she barely ate anything at all these past few days. Lucy had been running on adrenaline for a while now and it was only going to get worse. Her nerves were getting the best of her, she didn't want to sleep until her baby girl was back here in her arms.<p>

That good news...**never** came. And Natsu didn't come home...he left again without her. The master told her what had happened, that Ami was kidnapped by the Orachion seis, and Natsu went off after them. How could he hope to defeat all of the members and come back with Ami alive!? Lucy had never felt more weak in her entire life. Not because of some arbitrary physical or magical strength. She was **drained **emotionally and it caused her body to collapse on itself that day. The lack of sustenance, sleep, and peace of mind tore her down. Ami was not coming home...her little girl was out there somewhere alone and scared. So she fell down to the floor on her knees. She couldn't move anymore. There was no strength to stand.

Lucy's precious light was taken from her. She was carried home thanks to Erza and eventually given something to eat. Levy helped prepare some food, along with Mira who felt extremely compelled to aid Lucy in her time of need. None of them could imagine what it was like to lose a child like that...Ami might even eventually _die_. No one wanted to go there but their minds couldn't help but wonder about what the Orachion seis were actually after.

A few days went by so fast. Lucy never left her home, she didn't go to the guild or speak to anyone. In fact this is the second day she was planning to lay in bed...safe within her blanket sanctuary. Letting the hours tick by, avoiding all of the pain of living. She didn't want to be reminded anymore of this life...or the world that she lost.

Happy was not satisfied with the way things turned out. With everything that happened Natsu really left Lucy to suffer all alone. Alright...so maybe she has the guild to help her out but right now she doesn't even **want** to see any of them! Happy hopped onto the bed, it just wasn't healthy, she's been here almost 8 days...

He wasn't sure of how she would react so he approached slowly, his voice shaky, "Lucy?"

Lucy's head slowly popped up out from under the blankets and she looked over at the blue feline with sleepy eyes, "Oh...hey Happy...sorry I don't feel like getting out of bed today..."

Her head relaxed back into the soft fabric of the pillow. It gave her a sense of comfort in a rather uncomfortable world. Was this really ok? Should he leave her to suffer like this...it just didn't seem right. Seeing Happy again brought up old and unwanted feelings within her. It made her chest hurt and tears stream down her face.

Oh man did he feel even worse...but there has to be something he can do!

"I know Natsu is gone but he's gonna come back! He has to come back with Ami! I know Ami got taken away and I didn't like her crying but I miss her too! I want Ami back...just like you do." Happy stopped for a moment but Lucy's tears turned into sobbing, "If Natsu was here right now and saw you crying...well...he's never liked to see you cry and I don't either Lucy! You're part of our family!"

Tears started to well up in his tiny eyes, "Lucy is Lucy! She's always strong and smiles and laughs! She's one of my best friends I don't want to see her cry either!"

Lucy sat up suddenly and grabbed Happy into a hug her sobs only getting louder. Her chest was shaking violently...

"I thought I could be strong but with Ami gone I just can't! I'm so scared and worried about her! Everyday I keep thinking that I will just up and leave to go find her on my own...and I want to...I just can't stop feeling so broken down!"

Footsteps echoed throughout their broken home, causing Lucy to shiver with fright, holding the exceed even more tight against her chest. Flash backs to the night their home was invaded started to flood her mind and her breathing stopped.

A soft voice came from the other room, "Lulu?"

"Levy...is that you?" Lucy began to breathe easy, but her voice was still very broken.

The bedroom door was closed and Levy was leaning against it trying to talk through it, "I came to check on you. I haven't seen you in the guild hall at all for a while. It's no good to stay inside **all** the time!"

Lucy eventually found the strength to stand, it was heartwarming that Levy still came to see her even when she's like this. Lucy put on a robe and came out into the dinning room, where she sat down at the table. Levy made them a pot of tea, Lucy would normally be on top of that but today just wasn't a good day. Levy brought some cups of tea over and sat down across the way. She couldn't help but notice Lucy really changed...

Levy hadn't even touched her tea, she was just staring...her eyes filled with concern, "You look like you lost weight or something...have you been eating?"

Lucy finished taking a sip of her soothing beverage. Her eyes seemed to drift away from Levy's prying ones...

"Of course I have...it's only been a few days."

"It's been a week..." Levy said in a soft but still serious tone. Lucy has not been taking care of herself.

_A whole week already..._Has it really been that long?

Lucy looked solemnly at the table and rested her elbows against it. Her hands came together and she leaned against them taking in the fragrance of her tea.

"I guess I just have to come and check on you more often. It must be so hard...I can't even imagine what you are going through." Levy watched Lucy's facial expression sink even further into sadness. Levy stood up from her chair and slammed her hand against the table, startling the blonde "But I'm here to help you! Everyone at the guild is worried Lucy! We all care...so please don't shut us out!"

"Thanks Levy...I think I'm finally starting to feel a little better now..." While Lucy spoke her light sobs started to break through, only making her sound even more upset as she went on.

She wasn't ok..._this _**wasn't** OK. She would never be fully complete until she had them both back in her arms.

_I would rather die than go through this pain again._

* * *

><p>It felt like he was walking endlessly to a new realm. Rain started to crash down upon Natsu and at this rate he would lose her scent completely. How long had he been traveling? The non-stop trek over all of the land left him worn out and hungry though he didn't dare stop to look for food. Resting was also minimal...he couldn't stop. He had bags under his eyes and his stomach hurt something awful but he ignored the pain and pressed on. But it was no use...he tried to run as fast as he could to keep up with the scent for as long as possible.<p>

"No no no no NO! I won't lose her now!"

That was as far as his body would go. Once her scent completely vanished everything started to fade in and out of his vision as he tried to catch his breath. Natsu fell forward, too exhausted to even catch himself, splashing into the muddy earth.

_It couldn't have been **that** long...damn it...I need to get up! My body won't move and my eye lids are so damn heavy..._

His eyes closed as his brain shut down for a good nights rest. He didn't even feel the rain falling anymore.

_I'm sorry...Ami..._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>I am sorry I could not update sooner. I have a lot going on in the real world so parts are getting written very slowly(it's kinda importantish stuff and I really am sorry). The story will continue- just under a bit of stress. Thanks for being patient I hope you keep reading :)


End file.
